The FY 2018 Continuum of Care (CoC) NOFA includes a $50 million Domestic Violence (DV) Bonus for rapid re-housing (RRH), joint transitional housing and rapid re-housing (Joint TH and PH/RRH), and coordinated entry (CE) projects targeted to serve people fleeing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking as defined in 24 CFR 578.3 and/or victims of human trafficking. Our expectation is that by including this funding opportunity in the CoC NOFA, we’ll enable communities to integrate domestic violence programs into their overall planning more broadly than in the past. Here is a summary of the application process and funding opportunity:

A CoC may apply for up to three bonus projects under the Domestic Violence Bonus:

one RRH project,

one Joint TH and PH-RRH project, and/or

one CE project dedicated to DV.

These must all be new projects, and DV Bonus projects for RRH and Joint TH and PH-RRH must use a housing first approach.

When a CoC applies for DV Bonus projects, it will rank them along with all other projects. Here are some helpful things to know:

A DV Bonus project’s ranking on the priority listing will not affect its likelihood of being selected. Whether the project is ranked first, last, or somewhere in between, it has the same chance of being selected.

There are additional questions in the CoC application that are specific to the DV Bonus, but the DV Bonus project applications are the same as those for other CoC projects. HUD will review the DV Bonus project applications and the specific DV Bonus questions in the CoC application.

If a CoC’s DV Bonus projects are selected, HUD will remove the selected projects from the CoC’s priority listing. As a result, projects that had originally been ranked below the selected DV Bonus projects will move up.

If a CoC’s DV Bonus projects are not selected for bonus funding, then the DV Bonus projects will remain on the CoC’s priority listing and will be eligible for funding as (non-DV) bonus projects through the CoC Program as shown in Fig. 1.

HUD structured the NOFA this way so CoCs that have a highly-rated new project for survivors of domestic violence would not have to guess whether it is more likely to be funded if they apply for the DV Bonus or if they rank it highly in their priority listing as a DV Bonus project as seen in Fig. 1. This demonstrates how the priority list will change if a DV Bonus project is selected or not selected. It also shows that if Lisa’s DV Bonus project and Mary’s DV Bonus project are not selected, they change to regular bonus projects.

The DV Bonus is an incredible opportunity to leverage the partnerships between housing providers and victim service providers. Many of the CoCs already have strong relationships with victim service providers in their communities, and in some cases, victim service providers serve in leadership roles in the CoC. To successfully implement DV projects, CoCs should integrate their DV Bonus projects with the broader DV system. Safety and trauma-informed services for people participating in programs should be at the forefront.

Resources

The Domestic Violence Housing Technical Assistance Consortium (DVHTAC) created the Safe Housing Partnerships website to provide resources and guidance on the intersection of domestic violence and homelessness. We strongly encourage CoCs and project applicants to utilize the website in your program development and implementation. The DVHTAC is funded by a federal partnership between U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Family Violence Prevention Services Program, U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women and Office for Victims of Crime, and our Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs.

State Domestic Violence Coalitions will also be a great asset in your planning and program implementation. Coalitions serve as state-wide and territory-wide leaders in the efforts to end domestic violence. These organizations connect local domestic violence service providers and are valuable resources for information about services, programs, legislation, and policies that support survivors of domestic violence. You can find the contact information for your state coalition against domestic violence on the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s website.

For additional questions on the DV Bonus in this year’s competition, please submit a question to HUD’s Ask A Question (AAQ) portal (select system: “e-snaps” when prompted).

Department of Veterans Affairs Releases New Tool to Help Maximize Income

On July 20, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released a new tool for beneficiaries of Social Security Administration's (SSA's) disability benefits, which helps demonstrate how income from employment and/or VA disability benefits will affect Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

Too often, misinformation about how employment will affect income from SSI/SSDI discourages beneficiaries from pursuing their vocational goals. The new VA Income and Benefits Calculator offers a strong visual representation of how working while receiving SSI/SSDI and/or VA benefits is not only possible, but can be an integral part of maximizing income and housing stability.

We encourage members of the SOAR community to utilize the new Income and Benefits Calculator with Veterans and non-Veterans to:

Begin the conversation

Integrate the Calculator into your engagement strategies to help show that employment is possible while receiving SSI/SSDI

Encourage individuals who are applying for SSI/SSDI to also pursue their vocational goals and support them in these efforts

Explore what is possible

Use the Calculator to explore how starting work, increasing hours or pay, or saving money for vocational training will affect SSI/SSDI

Jen Elder, National Policy and Partnerships Coordinator at the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center, provides a short walkthrough of how to use each of the calculators. These key tips will help you quickly and easily start using the Calculator, to help those you serve maximize their income! A PowerPoint of the presentation without the walkthrough is also available.

We'd love to share your feedback with the VA on how you might use this new tool! To provide feedback, email Jen Elder at jelder@prainc.com.

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